Been coming to the sewer for more than two decades. I miss Jim and always running into him for my birthday drink. Back in the day we would have a smoke and a drink on the house and for some reason I would often bump into Jim. I do believe he bought me a cigar on one birthday Thanks again Jessie Castillo III CFO of Bis-Tech International Computer Services read more

This place is a cool spot to kick it to jumpstart your night or to lounge around and wine down before heading home. The service is service. Drinks stay flowing and all is good with the world. Cheers read more

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First time and Loved it!! Drinks were great and good price. Love the premium alcohol options. All bartenders were fast and friendly. Bands playing were great and had a lot of fun! Lots of fun activity inside and outside patio was relax vibe. Will be back for sure! read more

Terrible place. After reading reviews I am Not the only one. I was kicked out of this bar for no apparent reason other than they said I was acting not normal. Go at your own risk, these guys are doucebags. read more

DONT GO HERE. The "manager" aggressively grabbed me by the throat and kicked me out after starting to mosh (literally bumping into my boyfriend) at a show. I had no idea this wasn't allowed and would've immediately stopped had he taken me aside and told me. Instead I was choked. I was so frightened because I thought a random guy was trying to choke me (which has happened to me before at a bar) that I kneed him in the balls. The bouncer outside told me I was kicked out for kneeing him. Put up a sign about no moshing or don't have shows. I've never been to a place that doesn't allow it. Also, learn to communicate with your customers rather than using violence. It's dramatic and unnecessary. I highly doubt he would've choked me if I was a man. I saw them kick out a guy earlier in the night and they had him by the arm. In summary, stay away, especially as a woman. The people that work there are dangerous and violent. read more

Teeny tiny little venue. Sound is good for a couple punk bands. No Guinness... but decent B53 shots read more

Sans Souci Cocktail Lounge - a man playing a guitar - Dive Bars Near Me - Ventura, California

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Pretty divey. Not a bad place if you just wanna grab a drink real quick. They got a touchtunea do thing of you wann play your music. It's ok

Best bartenders in town! Love it here. Dive bar vibes and live music on weekends make it a good stop for downtown.

A return place from school years decades ago, so pleased to say the Sewer is the friendliest bar in Ventura. I've been back there twice now this week and feel like a regular already! Folks buy each other drinks, staff keeps a vigilant eye, and the music/dancing rocks until late. I always feel like I have a wing gal or guy by my side. Thanks everyone for the fun. read more

Sans Souci Cocktail Lounge - Prof M with her dancing wing gals from CSUCI. - Dive Bars Near Me - Ventura, California

Hannah is the best bartender ever! We share the same name but I promise she's the best! Ask her for a green tea shot and you won't be disappointed ! read more

Came here for karaoke on a Monday night. The music kept cutting off on everyone lol. KJ is awful! Somehow I kept moving down on the list, I was third, next thing you know I'm last of 7 people. How did that happen? His sound system is just bad, what KJ would have such a low quality system that the breaker keeps popping? Yikes! Oh and you'll walk out of there smelling like an ashtray yuck! read more

Sans Souci Cocktail Lounge - Dive Bars Near Me - Ventura, California

My history in this place goes WAY back! My DAD used to go here and drink with the sailors from Port Hueneme during WWII (1940's). Sometimes they would have to drive him home. MUCH more recently, I would go there with my girlfriend (don't tell my wife!) Absolutely great little bar! Many fond memories here. read more

Fantastic but also very much what you expect at a dive bar. Limited selection, weird architecture, mixed vibes, odd crowd at times, somebody may be hogging the jukebox queue but the dj that started their set was playing some great 00's throwbacks. Can be hard to get an order in, even on slower nights. read more

Listen...these people have infinite patience. Just be kind to them and tip extra. The bands are fun, the bathroom's upstairs, don't wear heels its easy to trip. Drink up! read more

Bar it's self is actually not bad. Drinks not that expensive. Bad rating do to drunk grand kid running his mouth about how his family owns the bar and they Dont like four guys from out of town spending money in this "dive bar". If they want to keep open locals only will not keep a place like this open. Our typical bar tab runs $200 with 22% tip. We left after 1 beer. read more

Sans Souci or "The Sewer" as it is known to the locals is one of my favorite bars to visit when I come home from San Diego. It is conveniently located across the street from the Majestic Ventura Theatre, so you can easily pop by for a couple of drinks after a show. Is this a piss soaked shit hole of a bar? No way! The decor may be in typical dive bar form, but if you ask me...the wood paneling on the walls and the dirty red carpet with its mysterious stains are what gives this place character. Bars are supposed to focus on providing a good variety of liquor and The Sewer does a excellent job of that WITH decent prices. Usually when I stop by this venue, there is a local band or DJ performing, so you can almost always find someone dancing the night away on the tiny floor space. If the inside is too packed for your liking, the front courtyard is a nice retreat. The courtyard (with its heat lamps and red painted walls) is my favorite place to chill with friends while smoking a cigarette or two. If you are not entertained by the local bands or DJ's, then observing the locals that flock to this bar will be enough to get you through the night. From punks, bikers, and hipsters, The Sewer attracts all sorts of people trying to get away from the touristy bars in the surrounding area. Cheers to you, Sans Souci! read more

Sans Souci Cocktail Lounge - Dive Bars Near Me - Ventura, California

A true old school Dive with great stiff drinks and always a music vibe going on. The bartenders are super cool and always get to you asap even when its shoulder to shoulder busy. Ive been coming to this bar for years when out that way. Love how its directly across from the VTA Theater! Great starter if a concert is going down. A bar tender by the name of Josh is super cool and def has great customer service skills! All in all this bar is what a dive bar should be. read more

Awesome little dive, been hearing about this place since I moved to Ventura co and I can see why. Good music, clean, plenty of seating, and cheap booze: win win in my books. Even on a Wednesday night the place was easily packed. Good times, gives me the ol Hollywood dive feel that's been missing in my life since moving up here. Great bar all around read more

Small bar off of Chestnut and Main with a small smoking patio in the front. Staff and security seemed friendly enough. They do not serve beer on tap. read more

The number one dive bar in Ventura! AKA THE SEWER! Always live music... 7 days a week. This is Ventura's locals favorite spot and travelers love this unique dive too! In fact if you are from out of town you really should stop in. It's the last bar to close-which ROCKS! Shannon is one of the coolest part of the "Sewer" she is manager, bartender, and more... she is extremely good at her job! Mikey is another one I'd like to point out, even when busy he notices everything, consistently together and cool, overall great bartender! The other bartenders can keep up when the place is jammed, and trust me this place gets crazy & it's really fun! Security guys are cool and Ed is the man. SEWER KEEPS IT INTERESTING & ALWAYS FUN! read more

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This dive bar is nostalgic for me since I used to drink here back in 2007. I am happy to report that not much has changed. If you want a dive bar in Ventura this is the place to be. read more

I love this place!! I'm definitely more of a dive bar person now, especially as I've gotten older, as they're more cozy and chill. Plus the drinks are strong, which is always appreciated, as well as the outdoor area, since I'm a smoker and drinks go well with cigarettes :) read more

If you love poundin' PBR tallboys, and overpriced shots, while trying to avoid fights with folks who are so hammered they can barely stand, then a trip to the sewer is right up your alley. Bonus points for the chick I met who claimed I wasn't Irish because I didn't agree with what she felt Dun Laoighre was most famous for, then proceeded to tell the entire bar I was "a liar and needed to get my ass kicked." Ahh, good times. Good times! read more

I don't normally leave reviews, but I was here tonight to see a friend's band play. I stepped out into the ally section of the patio smoking area, far away from everyone else, and took a couple hits of some weed, (just had colon cancer surgery and it helps with the pain). Security comes and kicks me out, no warning or asking me to put it out just very rudely made me leave, as if he had just caught me shooting up heroin or something. They advertise themselves to be a dive bar, yet are a bunch of rude snobs. The most ironic part of this whole ordeal is, as I'm getting kicked out for smoking weed, the band is in the back....You guessed it, smoking weed! As I, the stoned one was being asked to leave, I simply told them to have a good night, my drunken counterpart, on the otherhand made her feelings verbally known. Yet the weed smoker "must exit immediately" Needless to say, I will not be returning. read more

Clearly a dive bar which is great. Giving a one star because of service. Clearly Jamie is young and trying to establish authority. We were part of a pub crawl and refused to serve us the drinks when we arrived at 9:50(over at ten). According to her it goes by bar time which was 10:12. No where did it mention it goes by the time of a broken clock at the bar. This one star goes straight to her. No thank you for your horrible service. As you mentioned it goes by "your time, because you're the boss right now." That's ridiculous. I would understand if maybe she was considered with over serving but no. I had one drink the whole day. Even the other women at the bar said to just make our drinks but you refused because as you made it clear to everyone "you're the boss". read more

Being told that Sans Souci is a dive bar, I was expecting a sadness like Billy O's, but instead found the edgy punk hipster scene of folks that are not yet willing to admit that they really are trying to be cool and will fight you to prove it. If you don't believe that the characters are shady, the numerous bouncers covering the door will prove it to you. Copious amounts of alcohol served to punky hipsters with chips on their shoulders so large you're surprised they fit in the room make for an ugly mix that is only entertaining if you can watch it from afar. And from now on, I will! read more

It's a dive bar. It's a dive bar they call "the sewer." If you approach the place with that in mind, you may not be disappointed. Even for a dive bar, this place seems to be a magnet for exactly the kind of people I don't want to hang around with. Best application I can think of for this joint is if you want to get a little juiced up before a show across the street at the Ventura Theater. Walk around the corner, though, and you can relax at the Watermark without having to watch out for drunken thugs or airborne diseases. read more

Why are you guys calling this a dive bar? It is a hipster bar, masked as a dive bar. Anyway... I don't know how I feel about a bar that advertises itself as 'Ventura's Premier Dive Bar'. Being put-off by their sign upon entering, I'm sure my review is extra-critical. For that, I apologize: We came across Sans Souci on our trek to Main Street after enjoying a few specialty cocktails at Eric Ericsson's. It looked nice and dirty and cobblestoney from the outside, so we decided to check it out. I think our visit was around 5:00pm on a Friday, so it wasn't crowded quite yet. In fact, most of the patrons (mid-thirties, righteous, unshowered types) were hanging out on the front patio, smoking Camels and waving their hands around a lot. We ordered a couple vodka-cranberries and settled at a table in the corner. No music was playing in the bar, so I felt it was my duty to serve as DJ for my twenty minute stay. Nobody was responsive to my Warrant, Skid Row, or even Three Dog Night selections. You guys suck. I'm drunk. The salmon and Indian food-hating bartender at Paddy's also recommended we check out Sans Souci after communicating to him our affinity for dive bars. Pass. read more

This is a bar. There are people. There are drinks. Patio, yes. Small inside. I might be too old for this. Or too sober. Mismatching floor. Live music. Young people drinking. Old people drinking. And a TV for me to check and cheer the baseball scores. read more

My friend Feldman and I determined one night that Sans Souci must have adopted the name "The Sewer" seeing that all of Ventura's finest refuse wash up there at around one in the a.m. when all else nearby have closed their doors. Fri - Sun: bring your flame tattoos and muscles, and dont forget your harley davidson shirt either... you'll fit right in. This is the worst place to go if you want to hang out and grab a drink with friends you care about. Especially if you're showing someone around Ventura for the first time. I've witnessed many rediculous fights here, one involving a guy getting stabbed in the neck with a broken beer bottle (seriously). Happy hour may actually yield a moment of decency at the sewer. In other words, you may actually be able to drink your beer without some 50 y/o haggard rubbin' her business all over you. Though, for a good laugh, this place can be damn entertaining. read more

First of all, I like that I searched "the Sewer" and Sans Souci came up without issue. Best bar in Ventura, period. Dimly lit, seedy, a little sketchy with strong, cheap drinks. The bartenders don't put up with shit, the bouncers are awesome and every once in awhile they have some badass live music. But don't go there, you touristy bastards. The Sewer is our Venturian secret. read more

Not a safe place. I went there with some friends to have a drink. As soon as we stepped in the bar the derogatory comment began to fly from those seated at the bar. The manager stood by from behind the bar, watched, and did nothing. In order to avoid further harassment and conflict we left. The manager was later contacted and asked if her actions where appropriate in her eyes. She said, "I saw nothing wrong." I could only imagine how the whole thing might have turned out had we decided to stay. This bar may advertise itself as a dive bar but it sure needs to put a disclaimer out front stating its a hate bar too. Discrimination welcome, do not enter if your not our type. I certainly hope others will read this an take caution. I'd hate to see anyone hurt as they walked into that environment unwittingly like we did. read more

FRIENDS, when I go to a dive bar, I'm not looking for safety and predictability. I want culture shock. Uncertainty. A twinge of Existential Angst. There has to be at least one totally righteous bartender on duty, the lights stay down low, and even the walls beckon you to peel off that bullshit veneer of respectability and admit you're just as much of a mortal as the rest of us. If it's unvarnished humanity you're after, Sans Souci is your kinda place. Welcome Home. Are there brawls occasionally? Yes, but there's no extra charge for a ringside seat, and those fighting are usually too inebriated to hurt anyone much. Just stay off the floor -- that red indoor-outdoor carpet is saturated with fluids and microorganisms you do NOT want contacting your body. Is your life feeling painfully normal tonight? Ditch that psychotherapist and spend your co-payment at Sans Souci. You'll feel better. read more

Ahh the Sewer. That's what I've been told it's called by various Ventura residents that live there, or lived there at one time. We were in the area, and were going to stop by Dargan's to get a drink after doing some work there, but Dargan's was slammed. Sans Souci was suggested, so we popped in there, and I wasn't disappointed. It's a little dive bar with a large outside smoking area right in front. The inside is a bit small. We didn't stay long since we were meeting a friend, but it was a good spot. There seemed to be a band that had performed, or was going to perform. The inside of the venue is quite dark, with a few places to sit and enjoy the performance. We grabbed a drink (the drink was nice and quite stiff too, and fairly inexpensive, which is a good plus). We ended up heading outside, and enjoying the smoking area, which was a good place to light up and people-watch (there were a lot of people out and about, and the patio is sheltered enough you can look out, but not look creepy doing so). Eventually we finished our drink and headed back to the car, but that's all I can speak for. The bartender was nice, she was very slammed but was on her game and we got our drinks quickly. FYI for the smokers, they do have cigarettes for sale at the bar, which is also a plus if you smoke. I'd seen the place pretty packed later in the evening, so it looks like it's pretty popular. Next time I'm in the area and there's a band playing, I'll have to make it a point to check it out again. read more

(QTip: Bathrooms up stairs and downstairs) My favorite start to a night out in downtown Ventura!! Great bartenders, great atmosphere - especially when they are "into" the band that is playing. Not a large dance area, but good enough. read more

This is an awesome little dive bar. Theres an eerie, gritty sort of ambiance with a dirty red carpet and a general feeling of unease. Perfect! The bartender was really nice and steered us towards a great beer that i have never seen elsewhere and the name of which I unfortunately cant remember (too many nights in dive bars). The locals seem to kick it here, which is cool if you want to escape the tourists and the high end contingent of ventura - just some aging drunks and misfits drinking their pain away. The drawbacks are that its very small and has an unsightly ATM planted against a wall which ruins the mood a little. It was not crowded at all, but a few more people and we would have run out of seating options. They were showing a skating video on TV and playing cool music on the juke and there was a framed painting of Kenny Rogers hanging on the wall behind me. Theres a nice patio too. Its very cozy for a piss soaked shit hole. read more

Dive bar. Class of patrons is better than your typical dive. DJs and jukebox. The owner is increasingly making improvements. There are a lot of security. On busy nights the bartenders are slammed and a little secret; tipping very well in the first round ($5-10) will make you remarkable and will always make you a priority to those bartenders. Smoking section is out front. Three cozy tables near dance floor. Mix of all races and ages. I have 3 stars because I am not a fan of dive bars because they are typically old and smell like beer/pee. read more

This grungy hole in the wall dive bar is located across the street from the Majestic Theater in downtown Ventura. Blink and you'll miss it. What I love about this place is that the local crowd are very friendly and laid back. I've meet all kinds of people here from all walks of life and no one has been uptight. The music on the jukebox is diverse and you can enjoy a cigar out front..err..umm court yard? whatever you call it. I can't really explain to much more about it. You either like it or you don't. Simple read more

Apparently this place is called "the Sewer" and I didn't know that before I went there. If Kenny Rogers were to turn into a vampire, this could be his lair-- at least part of the time. The issue? A huge happy hour sign that says "4$ you call it" and somehow getting charged 13$ by the bartender for a red stripe and a bloody. I think that's lame...we left after the first drink. The bartender was nice, maybe her boss was messing with her tips. Otherwise, cool music and patio. read more

Dammit - I think I may be in love! No cover; +Live band playing fun covers of Van Morrison, Johnny Cash and the Clash; +HUGE, awesome smoking patio out front; +Fun, eclectic crowd - mostly of the punk rock/rockabilly scene, but in general alternative types, nice mix, age and race wise - tons of fucking hot menfolk (for the ladies) and plenty of lovely ladies, though I can't speak for anyone's available-ness; +No one copped attitude, no pretentious dipshits, no haters, no groping drunks, no bitchy, unfriendly chicks. The restroom was a little sketchy, being upstairs and all - how many drunk people have fallen over the balcony railing or down the damn narrow-as-hell stairs, one has to wonder?? And, they are shared - so ladies, there was rarely a line, however, you may have to deal with a post-male piss-mess encounter... They do take credit cards, but I'd like to say that you may have more fun bringing cash so you don't have to 1.) worry about an open tab or 2.) wait for the authorization and sign. The bartenders were quick about it and nice while doing it; bouncer was not shaking folks down for stupid shit. At the end of the night, randoms from other bars came here, making the people mix, ummm, interesting - but not terrible - it did however bring some drunken groppers (eww). I had an AWESOME time at this place, YAY! read more